Fate: Quenched Flames
by The Umbran Mage
Summary: Leo Valdez was dead. His plan to defeat Gaia and free Calypso had failed. It was kind of hard to complete the second part when you were dead. However, instead of being sent to the Underworld, he was reborn as a Servant. Forced into a new world, Leo must now defeat heroes from history and myth in order to complete the Second Great Prophecy and return home.
1. Cinders

By all rights, Leo Valdez was dead. His body was a mess of half-melted bone, evaporating blood, and burnt muscle, whose heart stoppped beating seconds ago. The remaining skin was covered in several patches of second to third degree burns or charred completely, like it was sent into a furnace. The Physician's Cure - a divine gift from the god of medicine Asclepius - was destroyed during his sacrifice, boiled to a mist. Hours of bargaining, blood, and tears were erased in just a few seconds - along with the only chance for Leo to cheat death.

The body of Festus, his beloved metal dragon, had collapsed. Leaving its wooden exoskeleton of the Argo II, the mechanical beast had taken part in the conflict to protect his master. Wires were scattered, circuitry poking out of crumpled armor, and ruby eyes cracked beyond recognition. Festus now had a closer similarity to a crumpled circuit than a glorious beast of war, quickly falling into the sea below.

A bittersweet death, especially for one never allowed to live a happy life in the first place. Leo didn't get a 'glorious' death, protecting those he loved from a greater threat - for his friend ends still believed he was alive. Nor would he die in peace, surrounded by loved ones - for he had finished his mission alone, never to be seen again.

It was not an empty death, for Leo died fulfilling one of his heart's desires and his life's mission - to kill the one responsible for his mother's death. Gaia, primordial of the Earth and Mother of All, had tricked the demigod to kill his mother in an attempt to dissolve his spirit. She believed she could save her own life and revenge by breaking his mind with guilt and fear, leaving an empty husk of a body.

The Earth Mother had sealed her destiny that fateful night, as Leo's mother was roasted by his flames and the warehouse she worked in collapsed. It took years running away from every scar the trauma had left behind, but he managed to move on from the trauma. He swore revenge, and promised to destroy the Primordial even if he had to move heaven and hell.

And he had managed it. Gaia was no longer a primordial - she had been separated from her domain, hurled into the sky as Leo incinerated her alive. Taken by surprise, the demigod was given a few precious seconds to separate the earth goddess as far from the earth as possible. In one of the many possibilities, his friends joined him in the battle, earning the boy time to use the finishing blow. However, no one joined him as he and Festus soared into the sky. Withstanding a supernova of fire, heat, and metal from the ammunition of an onager, Gaia had managed to wreck the dragon - a second too late as the explosion swallowed and disintegrated her consciousness.

No one killed an incarnation of the World. Such an act was impossible - no primordial being was fully slain. Even Tiamat, mother of everything, was still roaming inside the Imaginary Numbers Space, waiting to rise once more. It was the 'death' of a primordial being that stoked the flames of myth, a bright flare in the middle of a million candles.

The boy, now a goddess slayer, now a _legend,_ hadn't cared that the fate of Western Civilization was at stake. He hadn't cared that all of humanity would be wiped from the surface of the planet or enslaved by Gaia's children. He didn't care that Olympus would reward those that completed the quest. All that mattered was avenging the one he loved.

However, Leo would not receive recognition or accolades for accomplishing what many could not in the land of the living. No, Leo would normally be sent to the Fields of Punishment. There, his soul would be forced to bathe in water from the River Styx until his soul was erased from reality, and never reincarnate. It was cruel to the point of inhumanity, but such a punishment was required for his crime.

He broke an oath sworn upon the Styx. He swore to save Calypso from her eternal prison, the forever hidden island of Ogygia.

However, Leo's existence was the most unnatural in the eyes of the supernatural, but beyond impossible in a world that was a mix of fantasy and the mundane. Leo was the first child of Hephaestus to wield fire ever since the 1600s. He had gained access to technology forgotten by time, the equivalent of noble phantasms. He had slain Gaia, The World itself, to an extent even the Titans were unable to do so with Ouranos.

That qualified him as a 'Hero.'

And that has made all the difference, for it was unique in the eyes of the Throne of Heroes.

A dimension existing outside of time and space, the Throne recorded any figure that carved itself into the human consciousness. Whether they be from history, folklore, or divinity, the Throne collected them all. It observed every miracle, whether it aided humanity or caused great bloodshed. There, they would be stored unless the world itself called for a savior. The Throne, if one perceived it that way, could be observed as an entity, a collector of humanity's legends and achievements so it could preserve the species.

Thus, it ignored the heroes of this world full of gods and monsters, considering them to be counterfeits of previous legends. They were false imitations, trying to replicate great acts that occurred long ago. Many Greek, Norse, and Egyptian heroes had gained their place in the Throne. It would not waste its efforts collecting heroes that, in its eyes, had never done something unique.

And Leo's existence and legend was enough to surpass the Throne's insurmountable standards.

As the demigod slowly died, his very being was crystallized and stored by the Throne so that it would save the world once again. Whispers and tales grew into stories, and stories to myth. Four great symbols would forever stand out, defining his status as a Hero.

When summoned, these weapons would be formally known as Noble Phantasms, his legend crystallized into physical form. Devastating armies and fortresses once activated, their very names were the key for others to find his identity. However, such a feat would be immense, for nobody in Leo's world had the capabilities to summon a Heroic Spirit unless all members of the Olympian Council were involved.

Out of all the Heroes of Olympus, Leo Valdez had achieved the impossible and gained a place in the Throne of Heroes. He was no longer a soul bound to the Underworld, forced to meet the punishment from a broken promise he meant to keep. The demigod was now a Heroic Spirit, an immeasurable existence that could only be summoned in a weakened state, or called upon by the world to save it. Leo would never be found by his friends, whether it be in the world of the living or the land of the dead, because the Throne was a dimension of its own.

However, Leo had a desire - no, an obligation.

It was his promise to save Calypso. Whether it was born from love or sympathy, he didn't know. However, it was a promise he was willing to fulfill no matter what it took to circumvent the island's defenses, even risking an attempt to cheat death if it meant success. It was this failure that nearly damned the son of Hephaestus to a bloody fate.

For that reason, Leo needed a miracle, one that he believed could only be granted by the Grail.

Not the Holy Grail that the Round Table sought, the cup used by Jesus Christ at the last supper. This Holy Grail was an artifact created by three great families from a parallel world - The Tohsaka, the Einzbern, and the Matou. It created a ritual that would have the capability to grant any wish, or pierce a way to The Root.

This ritual was named the Holy Grail War, for the blood bath it caused when the ritual was attempted for a second time. It was a conflict between seven Magi, users of Magecraft with the desire to fulfill a wish. Using prana gathered over a period of sixty years, the Grail would bestow these Magi with the title of Master, along with the capability of summoning a Servant.

And if Heroic Spirits could be considered entire plays, then Servants were acts. They were copied portions of the spirit, their summoning a flawed version of the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel. Servants were containers for Heroic Spirits, limiting their capabilities but allowing them to interact with the world through a physical body fueled by the mana of their Master. Then, each Master and Servant team would fight in the city of Fuyuki until there was only one left - if they wanted a wish, that is.

There was no victor in the three previous wars, no wish granted. The first one a sham, the second a bloodbath, and the third a war ground, with a new Servant class joining the fray. There were no survivors from each war aside from a single one, and he wouldn't dare speak of what happened.

And thus, in the year of 1994, seven Masters branded by the Grail commenced the ritual that would call forth these spirits, each willing to sacrifice their life for a single wish.

And Leo, a 'Hero' who never lived a happy life but one filled with regrets and sorrows, would answer the call.

(Break)

Waver Velvet slowly settled the artifact into the summoning circle, making sure not to blemish the lines filled with chicken blood. Any mistake could summon something else, not the being that would hopefully guide him to victory.

Despite his willingness to kill risk his life in order to grant his wish, the young Magus didn't seem like much at first glance. He was young, had a childish face, straight black hair that fell down to his ears, and a scrawny body. Even his magic circuits were the average twenty. It was only through intellect, pragmatism, and a bit of dumb luck that he was here.

That, and Waver had stolen his teacher's artifact.

Quite different to the Magi that participated in this war, who were experienced in both killing, had the support of ancient families, and used magic circuits and magecraft that was honed by generations of research. They were all aware of the stakes, of the fact that this may be their last action.

In another life, Waver would have intercepted a remnant of the Cloak of Iskander from his (former) mentor Kayneth El-Melloi in a bout of spite. He would've summoned the King of Conquerors, swearing eternal loyalty to a leader that wouldn't survive the 4th Holy Grail War. He would be one of the few survivors that made it through the battle unscathed, with his mentor killed by Kiritsugu Emiya. Waver would then become one of the greatest teachers in the entire history of the Clock Tower, inspiring and training future magi. He would also be the one who dismantled the Holy Grail War after the Fifth one began fifty years too early.

However, in this world, Waver didn't receive this artifact. Instead, he received one of the Spheres of Archimedes, as Lord El-Melloi believed he could learn magecraft from the great mathematician that held off the Roman Empire. This increased knowledge would help him rise to even greater heights despite his title as a Lord of the Clock Tower. And if he won the war with Archimedes, even better.

However, there was a single flaw in the Lord's (and Waver's) reasoning, one they were ignorant of. The spheres were never wielded by Archimedes as a weapon, and most attributed these 'circles' as his work on pi and circumference. The artifact wasn't even acknowledged by the public to be created by Archimedes. This was the factor that prevented it from summoning the Heroic Spirit Kayneth or Waver desired.

And thus, it would go to the closest legend this artifact was related to.

Waver stepped back, a thousand emotions crossing his mind. Fear. Excitement. Dread. All tempered and cooled under his determination and ambition. He will show his former Master that lineage wasn't everything, and succeed in winning the Holy Grail War. The fact that he would win this with the Servant Kayneth intended to summon would just make this all the more sweeter. With the Holy Grail, he would wish for respect, for power, for money - and make it to the Root through his own merit.

Branded on the back of his right hand were the command seals that allowed him to perform this ritual. Waver almost felt lucky that the Grail had chosen him as one of the competition's seven participants. Stretching his hand until it was aimed straight at the space above the circle, Waver slowly chanted the incantation that would call forth Archimedes.

"Let silver and steel be the essence.

"Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation."

In front of Waver, the summoning circle started to glow in a bright aquamarine green, the light making the leaves from nearby trees vibrant with life.

"For the ancestor, the great Master Schweinorg." A lie - Waver had no great ancestor, with his own grandmother being the first Magus of his lineage, supposedly discovering it during pillowtalk. It was one of the many reasons he was often mocked by his fellow students, because they had the resources and years of experience backing them up - like a toddler bike forced to compete against sports cars.

"Close the gates of cardinal directions.

A wall to block the falling wind.

From the crown, come forth and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom.

"Fill, fill, fill, fil, fill! Repeat five times." With each word, the circle glowed even brighter.

"But when each is filled, destroy it."

"Set." The circle shifted color, starting at a bright orange before settling into a ruby red.

"Heed my words." Air began to pulse around the woods, the stirring leaves almost whipping against the wind.

"My body shall give you life, and your sword shall weave my destiny." He didn't want to die. He wanted recognition, to reach the Root, and most of all, he wanted to be appreciated.

"Answer the beckoning of the Holy Grail, and if you acknowledge my will and reason…Then answer!"

"My oath shall be sworn here!" Waver's magic circuits buzzed with energy, fueling the ceremony as its discharge covered the forest clearing. This was the final factor, the one that would decide whether the Heroic Spirit would abide by the summons.

"I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven!"

"I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!"

Knowledge was what mattered in the end, wasn't it? He wanted access to the Swirl of The Root and the access to the Akashic Records. That meant access to most benevolent and sinful magics in all of creation.

"You seven heavens, clad in the trinity of power,

come forth from the circle of binding,

Guardian of the Scales!"

The building mana burst from the circle, pulsing and scattering dust across the lonely night as blinding light clouded Waver's eyes. This light was created in five more places around the world - two from the same city, in a luxurious house with a western design. One in a castle, hidden by a snowy forest in Germany and patrolled by a mix of Homonculi and familiars. One in England, from a workshop dwelling in the depths of the Clocktower, right beneath the British Museum.

For a few seconds, that was all Waver could see. Then, the light slowly dimmed, and Waver stumbled back in surprise. Dust was still in the air, and Waver's excitement peaked before a single question pierced the back of his mind.

_This is my Servant?_

Waver was expecting a sage, a middle-aged man who was a type of professor dressed in the clothing of the Roman Empire. Or a shrewd old man with a beard, wielding a staff. His artifact was supposed to summon Archimedes, and that was the image pop culture along with any busts of the man's face had developed. Archimedes had lived to a ripe age, killed by a roman legionnaire who was too stupid to know the value of the mathematician despite his inventions slaughtering and drowning his comrades.

The magus didn't expect a boy that looked barely above the age of 18. Especially one that was a bit taller than him by a few centimeters.

He was lithe, with a scrawny body that was close to an acrobat's. He had brown skin and a face that reminded him of elves from fantasy books, without the supernatural aura. Dark brown eyes analyzed Waver with a stoic air, a small glint of mischief hinting at some sort of scheme. Curly black hair was whipped wildly by the wind, barely held together by a pair of goggles. The rest of his clothing was extremely modern, with a white shirt, black suspenders, and a tool belt.

All in all, the complete opposite of Archimedes. What stopped Waver from cursing was the sheer power the Servant in front of him radiated.

It wasn't charisma, nor charm. The power Waver talked about was a raw form of divinity. The very air seemed to sizzle at the Servant's presence, the ground glowing where his feet touched the ground. Waver barely noticed sweat already dripping down his forehead, and it felt like he walked into London during a summer's day.

The boy bowed. "Thank you, thank you. I always wanted an awesome entrance." A smirk passed across his lips, before his posture became more rigid. "Servant Rider at your service."

The boy opened his hand, and a ball of fire filled the open palm. Panic flaired across Waver's mind, but his legs were frozen to the ground. It felt that if he moved a single millimeter, he would be burnt to cinders.

"I ask of you, young Magus, are you my Master?"

* * *

_It's been a long time since I've put up some of my ideas up in here. I was inspired a bit by Holding Back the Sea, except I wanted to mix up the formula, so to speak. Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy. _


	2. Extinguished

Leo, for all his joking, was too used to silence. Not the empty silence caused by a lack of people, but from what people weren't willing to say. It happened when the Heroes of Olympus fled out of New Rome, and everyone was practically asking for his head on a silver platter. Then, there was the silence that had befallen his... acquaintances after retrieving the Athena Parthenos. Finally, there was his own, when he hid his mad scheme to cheat death from everyone except a precious few.

This was a similar silence, filled with enough tension that would make a pressure cutter envious. The flames crackled in his fingers, while his hair stopped whipping against the force caused by the summoning. His clothes - they were nearly the same ones Calypso weaved for him. The white t-shirt still smelled of that flower garden she used to keep. The suspenders were ones he wore when he was going to work - not the fancy ones with the thin straps and a bowtie.

The last thing he felt before death was his skin going numb as he burned himself alive, the third-degree burns spreading across his skin like light spreading through a sidewalk. Smoke had filled his lungs, and the parts of him that weren't burnt were filled with shrapnel from Octavian's onager blast and glass from Gaea's body. Now, his body was in perfect condition - still scrawny, but without any damage. Some of his scars from living in the streets were still there, but they barely bothered him.

Most of all, he felt strong. There wasn't any sign of muscle growth, but Leo felt like he had the power to knock down a tree with a single punch. The earth beneath his feet had crumbled the second he was summoned. Time seemed to move a bit more slowly, and he was almost tempted to sprint across the hill. Even his fire was more intense, the already white-hot flames changing the cool winter night to the hottest day of summer. His ADHD and Dyslexia - one of the curses and blessings of being a demigod - had disappeared, letting him stay calm for once.

If he was getting his wish after this conflict, he was keeping the perks that came with the body of a Servant when he was brought back to life. To keep all of these advantages would be a panacea to a good chunk of his problems. Leo Valdez ver.2.0 was definitely a keeper.

His Master, not so much.

He was young, almost to the point that Leo had almost mistaken him for an elementary school student. The fact that he lacked in height almost seemed to emphasize this, since even Leo was about an inch or two taller. He had grey eyes and straight black hair, while his facial structure lacked the cheekbones that adults had. He was also thin, up to the point of looking more like a straw or a twig .In fact, if it wasn't for his clothing, Leo would be panicking right now. His dress pants, vest, and tie were too formal for a little kid. In fact, that clothing looked like it was proper for college students rather than a child.

Leo quelled the flame in his hand, stepping forward and offering it to the kid. Though he took it and lifted himself up, the summoner's brain was clearly paralyzed. Taking advantage of that, he looked at his surroundings.

The clearing was surrounded by trees, the grass fresh with dew. A mix of stars and city lights mingled in the sky, and the air was cold with the hint of winter. The ground beneath him was stained with blood, freshly spilled - most of it was used to draw the summoning circle. The fluid was already dried by the flames in his hands, staining the grass into a murky brown. White chicken feathers were spread like small snowflakes. He looked at his feet, and he couldn't help but flinch.

An Archimedes Sphere was right in front of him. It was rusty, the celestial bronze and imperial gold almost indiscernible against the trash in a junkyard. The last time he had seen one of the object in such a state... it wasn't a happy time, to say the least. Hazel and Frank were almost going to get killed by the Eidolons, who had possessed automata that was in a workshop underneath a museum in Rome. Minutes later, Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus.

He crouched, handling the sphere as if it was radioactive. He sensed many things - the circuits dormant within, buttons and levers still functional despite the centuries that passed by. But also something - a lingering familiarity, like it was a remnant of his own life. His hands grasped the rings around the sphere, and he recalled the code with perfect memory. The words written by Nemesis were practically tattooed into his mind, after all.

YOUR LUCKY NUMBERS ARE: TWELVE, JUPITER, ORION, DELTA, THETA, OMEGA. (WREAK VENGEANCE UPON GAEA, LEO VALDEZ.)

He broke into laughter - one that sounded and felt like he was dying inside. This was the result of defeating Gaea - and he paid the price in so many ways. Saving Hazel and Frank's lives resulted in Percy and Annabeth's near-damnation. Gaia's death, a result of his own. This was the screwed up balance Nemesis had concocted, and it had gone so horribly right. He was almost tempted to tell the goddess to get bent if it wouldn't be so useless. He didn't even get to say a last goodbye to his friends, since they didn't follow him into the sky as he killed Gaea. He never got to see his mother in death because the furies practically dragged him into the River Styx.

Though the gods and their children won the war against Gaia, did it really matter when he wasn't there to see what happened after?

The sphere hummed in his wrist, and he smiled, before turning it off. If there was anything he was happy about, it was the things he was allowed to keep from his past life.

"Are you alright?" He looked at the boy, his surroundings being brought back to the forefront of his mind.

"Sorry," He shook his head and stood up. "I got caught up in my own thoughts. What's your name, young Master?"

The boy hesitated before answering. "Waver Velvet, Professor Archimedes."

He almost had to stop himself from giggling. That... that was just cruel. Not to him, but towards the kid. He had been expecting the great Mathematician of Syracuse, the inventor that single-handedly held off the Roman Empire with his inventions. Leo didn't know if he even had a legend, or if he got into the Throne of Heroes out of sheer merit. For all he knew, he might be the strongest servant out there, or the weakest one.

It seemed he must let Waver down easy. Though it would hurt the Master's pride, letting such a mistake to fester would be disastrous in the long term. No communication kills, after all.

"I'm sorry Master Velvet, but you've mistaken me for someone else. I am not Archimedes."

There was the shock he expected. While it seemed the boy was paralyzed once again, he was surprised to find that his tool belt was with him. He focused on the image of it - and the item appeared in his hand. He strapped it around his waist, and reached into one of the pockets.

"I need a house painting brush, a pair of gloves, a Tupperware container, and rust converter." He ordered the tool belt, and the items flew in his hand.

"Wait Rider," Waver Velvet said. "If you answered my summons through the artifact, and you're not Archimedes, then what Heroic Spirit are you?"

"One that has a stronger claim to the artifact. One who actually bothered to use them rather than leaving them to rust." He put on the gloves, before pouring the rust converter into the Tupperware, making sure it didn't spill into the grass or on his clothes. "After all, Archimedes is known for pi, and the circles related to his work. I am probably known for weaponizing the schizo tech he left behind."

He dipped the brush into the rust converter before passing it over the sphere. The rust trickled away, revealing the bronze and gold beneath. He smiled and put the sphere on the ground, letting the grass dry the liquid's remains.

"So Master, while I'm sorry to disappoint, you'll have to manage with me." He put a lid on the container, making a mental note to dump out the liquid and recycle the container later.

Waver Velvet stared at him with a mix of apprehension and curiosity - a look he was quite familiar with, sadly. He'd seen it on parents who were considering him for adoption, only to reject him at the last second. If it wasn't for the fact that he was the boy's only option, Leo was sure he would've been traded for another. Though that hurt what little ego he had, he knew it was true. He was a mystery Servant, a wild card compared to the other heroes who answered the call. If summoning a Servant was like pulling a card from a deck, summoning Leo was like pulling the crank of a slots machine while blindfolded.

Then the boy nodded, and the tension in his shoulders disappeared. "All right. Though this was unexpected, I believe you deserve a chance. I mean, you probably didn't expect to be summoned by someone who doesn't know who you are."

"Thank you, Master." He gave a flirty grin, trying to seem confident. "Now, I would love to learn a little more about yourself, and how you got my artifact."

This was honestly just routine for Leo. He'd done it a few times - usually to sucker up to those who were in the higher social circles. Jokes were just one of the many tools to get people to like him - flirting was the second one to go to when he didn't have the right material. Since this was the only relationship he had at the moment, along with the most important one, it would be a boon to keep it friendly.

"After all, you must have be very clever if you managed to retrieve one of the spheres of Archimedes." He pulled out the sphere, turning it on again before setting it to levitate by his side.

The boy blushed and scratched the back of his head, though he noted the blush wasn't caused by fluster. Though it was there, he could tell the boy was ashamed of something.

"I'm - I was a student at the Clock Tower. My bloodline, honestly, isn't one of the most prestigious ones. I sold everything I have to get tutelage inside the institute." Waver's blush intensified, but Leo could tell this one was from regret.

"So you were a student of that organization. Does that mean you graduated," he frowned. "Or that you were expelled?"

"Actually, I don't know if I was officially expelled," His Master's eyes looked at the floor. "I stole your artifact from my teacher - right before he was supposed to receive it."

A small chuckle slipped out of Waver, though the boy's posture told him that he was expecting disapproval. If it wasn't for the fact that Leo had stolen food in the past, he would have already scolded the man.

"Tell me, Waver, was that guy a jerk?"

There was a pause, before Waver nodded. "Yes, he was. Though at least, not in the way that you think."

"My thesis was that despite generations of magic circuits, those who have lower blood lines still have the chance to match them if they improved in their personal skills." Leo could taste the anger in his Master's voice, "When it was time to announce the grades, he did a posturing for a while, and concentrated on my essay."

Waver's hands formed into fists. "He tore it apart in front of my entire class. He mocked me, and destroyed what was months of my work."

Leo could agree, somewhat. He'd known how it felt to have everything you worked for torn apart, to slave away for hours and with nothing to show. He'd seen it with his mom, whose job applications were rejected by misogynists, racists, or nepotism. When Zeus punched his ship so hard it flew to Camp Half-Blood, his heart sank despite the fact that it provided the perfect smokescreen for his plan. Though part of him felt like Waver was overreacting, he could understand why Waver stole the artifact.

"Okay, yes, he sounds like an asshole. But if he was a professor in the Clock Tower, how did you get away with stealing my artifact?"

Waver scratched the back of his head, a guilty look that was followed by a roguish grin. "Would you believe it was because I stumbled across the delivery boy?"

At that, Leo laughed. It wasn't like the one before, where it felt like he was just venting at whatever was inside him. The very image was hilarious, almost to the point that it was absurd. He could easily imagine his Master basically nudging the deliver boy as they walked in a hall, before quickly grabbing the package in his hands and running like hell. It was only the frown in Waver's face that stopped him, though there was the tiniest twitch in his lips. He hadn't laughed like that in a long, long time. He was always the one making the jokes - and it was pretty hard to find something that would make him laugh. Nobody ever thought to return the favor - which was a bit sad, to be honest.

"Now, care to return the favor? If you aren't Archimedes, you should at least tell me about where and when you were from."

His laughter stopped, and he fiddled with an imaginary beard before shrugging. There would be no harm in giving away this bit of information - and he thought Waver wouldn't believe in such a notion. The sheer possibility of summoning a Heroic Spirit from the future, especially one from an alternate dimension, almost verged into the impossible.

"Master, what year is it?"

"Nineteen ninety-four. Why do you ask?"

A part of him cursed - of course he would get summoned in the nineties. Though he had no bones to pick against the movies made during that time aside from Titanic, it was the age where a good chunk of modern pop culture still wasn't there yet. J.K. Rowling still hadn't published Harry Potter. The Nintendo Sixty-Four wasn't available until two years in the future. And the U.S. had screwed up with the Rodney King trial two years ago. All the good anime wouldn't be made until later, and he was sure there was no Cartoon Network in Japan.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just, I'm from the United States. Houston, Texas, if you want the specifics."

He honestly didn't remember that much about the city. Most of his life was centered around the apartment complex he lived in with his mom, and the warehouse she worked in. After that, he was practically a pinball, tossed around the machine that was the entire United States. Florida, California, Washington, New York, and Montana. He was probably the only person out of the Heroes of Olympus that actually lived in all fifty states, though he wasn't exactly in them for sight seeing.

"As for when I was alive... I actually won't be alive for a few years."

**"WHAT?!" **

In the distance, a few birds scattered.

"Yeah. Impossible by all definitions? Yes, technically. But hey, now that I think about it, that means I'm actually quite strong as a Servant." He definitely wouldn't be mentioning the fact that he was from a world where the Greco-Roman Pantheon was still around, along with all its nasty creatures.

Though the Holy Grail couldn't give the true names of every servant, it could give out a list of possible Servants. He knew Nikola Tesla was somewhere inside the Throne, and that guy was named the father of electricity. Edison, even though he mimicked Tesla's designs, was also in there. And he would find it silly if the Throne somehow ignored Simo Häyhä - the man had practically scared off the entire Soviet Russian Army with his skills as a sniper.

"But how?!" Waver pointed at his face. Leo was almost tempted to swat away the finger. "You, by all rights, shouldn't even be inside the Throne at the moment! Is this artifact so important to you that you were able to override time and space?!"

"Yes." He answered carelessly.

That artifact was extremely important. He had rescued it from being locked away for thousands of millennia. The spheres he created from the scrolls left behind by Archimedes were the most useful weapons he ever made. Hell, they were influential towards rebuilding Festus and developing his ship's defenses. If Waver had received a different artifact, like one of the mirrors the mathematician used to defend Syracuse, then perhaps things would be different.

But when one makes a deal with a goddess... well, screw ownership and copyright. Divine pride and honor was more important in the eyes of the gods.

The blunt answer brushed away his Master's anger. He rubbed his fingers against his temples. Leo felt a bit of satisfaction at that - not out of pure sadism, but because it felt familiar - like a few of the times he had done so in the Argo II to raise morale. If somebody had the willpower to get annoyed at one of his corny jokes that meant they were going to be alright. When no one groaned, it meant something serious was going on inside their heads.

"Now, care to show me to your workshop? Or would you prefer to wine and dine me first?" He winked just for good measure, the Archimedes sphere and tossing it into his tool belt.

The blush in Waver's cheeks made him feel better - not for the sake of someone finally responding in a good way to his flirting, but it meant that his mask still worked. If he could still hide his emotions, then the war would be much easier to win.

"Fine. But my workshop isn't exactly the best of the best, if you must know." The Master turned away, crossing his elbows.

He smiled, feeling a bit more relaxed. "It doesn't matter. I think I'm pretty good at handling new places."

Waver tried to return the gesture, before he started to walk out of the clearing. Though Leo knew that there was something the Master was hiding, he dropped the matter. If there was anything he wanted to do at the moment, is that he wanted to freaking eat. Not the fonzies and brownies he had in the Argo II, but a real, actual meal. Being turned into a Servant had amplified most of his senses - including a sense of hunger.

He followed, but not before looking at the sky. The constellations here were different, the sky was a darker blue. The moon itself didn't shine the bright silver he knew - it was a mix of grays and whites, and it looked more like a messed up chocolate chip cookie than anything. He still remembered the sky back in the states - whether it was filled with clouds, or crystal clear like tonight, he always felt like there was something watching him from above. This one felt empty, almost like he was looking at a void.

Like a good chunk of children, he had read the various myths that were displayed in libraries - before he knew an entire pantheon was hidden from the world. He read about Ra and his sun boat, fighting off Apophis every day to spare the world from the serpent of chaos. There was Skoll and Hati, the wolves who would eat the sun and moon when Ragnarök came around. And finally, there was Apollo and Artemis - both which he was personally acquainted with.

This world had been abandoned by those legends - the Age of Man was fully established. There was no Calypso, waiting in Ogygia. No demigods or monsters roaming in a world hidden behind The Mist. This world was a part of the supernatural - but without everything that had influenced Leo's life for better and worse.

In those few seconds, when he looked at an empty sky, Leo Valdez never felt so alone.

* * *

He honestly hadn't answered the call because of his master's stoic pleas. He was so tempted to say 'screw you' and not answer the call, giving himself more time to sulk. If it wasn't for the fact that something had nudged him here, he would have let someone else answer the call. He couldn't fix the past, no matter what happened - it would be pointless to even participate in a conflict that offered a so-called wish.

He was too familiar with this term, to deal with the devil. He had made one, believing his wish could be granted, and caused so much destruction. Countless lives were lost - familiar faces and strangers, allies and enemies. He was responsible for a massacre - and there was no way to clean the blood that had stained his hands to the point that it never faded. What would be the point of joining this conflict if it meant causing more death? Surely the Holy Grail was another devil - and he had no mind to sign such a contract.

So why join the Holy Grail War? Perhaps it was the faint hope that still lingered inside him, like a flame refusing to burn out despite having no fuel. Perhaps it was his own morals, regardless of what he stood to gain. Despite all his sins, he still believed that there was something good he could do. Or perhaps it was his own pride - someone was trying to summon him, and if there was anything he was going to do, he was going to do it right.

Probably a mix of the three.

Regardless, he was summoned, and that was all that mattered. He was here now, and he would try to do an upstanding job all the same.

The process was painful, yet energizing. His body felt like it was forming, molecule by molecule, into what he once was. First it was his bones - starting from the center of his rib cage to his head and the tips of his toes. It felt like someone was trying to make the entire skeletal system out of play-dough, but with the skill and the eye of an artist. Then came his organs - his heart and mind were the first to form, followed by his stomach and lungs, and so on. His muscles formed, supporting everything inside him with inhuman strength. Next were the cosmetics - his skin, hair, nails, and the five senses.

Finally, his clothes - a black monk robe that covered his entire body, its insides woven with some sort of body armor that was cold to the touch. The mask of a jester, in appeared on his face, disguising his appearance. For some reason, it felt appropriate to cover his face, as if hid an old shame that no one ever wanted to see.

He was expecting to appear feet first on whatever type of floor the summoner had used as a medium. He was confident he would land on his feet, and greet his Master with the standard introduction.

He wasn't expecting to pop up several feet in some sort of living room. Gravity took hold, faster than his consciousness could form, and he barely felt anything. Only the sound of breaking would actually told him that he had crashed on something. He sluggishly picked himself up, noting his surroundings. Most of it radiated luxury, with walls painted a pale brown, and dark red curtains covering large windows. The chairs and - what was probably once a table, considering he was still in its crater - were made out of elm wood.

From the size of the room, he could tell he was in some sort of mansion. Flickers of information passed through his mind - dates, location, the current political climate, and what he was involved in. It blurred like an electric current, and he almost had to clutch his head due to the mental pressure such knowledge exerted. Something must've gone wrong when he was summoned, since a proper summoning wouldn't give off such a headache.

However, his situation seemed even more precarious since he didn't have all of his memories. He couldn't remember names and faces, but he did recall emotions. That sense of regret was chiseled into his soul, though he didn't know its source. All that he remembered was that this was some form of penance. Retribution for something he had done in the past.

He didn't know where he was, so he decided to stay put, rearranging the destroyed table so it was a bit more comfortable for him to lie on. It wasn't long before the sound of footsteps got louder. He closed his eyes and straightened his back, acting like he had meant to crash-land in this position. He arranged his face so it was in a cocky smirk. The footsteps got closer, and stopped for a single second. A doorknob twisted, and then he opened his eyes.

He was looking at three men. Each one was unique, not only in their clothing, but in the way they carried themselves.

The one leading the group was covered in golden armor from head to toe, all of it reflecting the light from the ceiling. To match his armor, he had golden, spiky blond hair that seemingly reached upwards. His skin was fair, while his face was stoic and stark, reminding him of a desert. His eyes were a dark blood red, a color that made him wary for some reason. This man looked at him as if he was nothing more than a bug to stomp under his heel.

The other one was handsome in a mature way, his posture radiating elegance and poise. His black hair was styled so that if fell symmetrically towards each side of his face, with the bangs going forward but not covering his blue eyes. He even had a neatly trimmed goatee, and his expression radiated confidence but without the arrogance it had as company. He wore a red velvet suit with a black tie and white undershirt, and he had a staff in one hand.

The last one... the last one was empty. Almost like he was hollow, almost to the point that he was dead inside. Though most probably couldn't perceive such a notion, there was a familiarity with this state of being, as if he had seen it before. He short brown hair, the bangs almost touching his black eyes. He wore simple, dark purple vestments, along with a golden cross around his neck. Out of all, he was the most unassuming, but there was a hidden sharpness to his figure, like a sheathed knife.

"So this is the Servant we're allied with, Tokiomi?" The golden man spoke.

The man in red flinched for a second before correcting his posture. "Of course, your Highness."

"Hmph. The mongrel doesn't seem like much. Are you sure this is a fitting Servant for your apprentice?"

This made anger stir inside him like a boiling cauldron, but he restrained himself. It was too early in the war to start a conflict against the first Servant he met. Especially when it seemed they were planning to make an alliance. He would find a more subtle way to get back at the King later.

"Either way, we have no choice. You have answered the call," Tokiomi's eyes turned towards him. "And there's no way to replace you. Servant, what is your class name?"

For a moment, there was just a blank before it appeared in his head. Then the name flew out of his mouth before he even registered it.

"Assassin."

He quickly genuflected, and he quickly tried to summon a weapon - any weapon - to at least make him seem more respectable. What surprised him was something did appear - a rather intricate sword, though he didn't know where it's design came from. It was a shiny bronze that gleamed against the warm light of the mansion. For some reason, it felt like a taboo to even wield the weapon, as if it was from a museum or cursed in some form. He quickly stabbed it into the floor so as to make it seem as if he had already known his own name and weapon. He stared at the third man, before asking a single question.

"What is your name, Master?"

The man directly looked at him, and he was reminded of that hollowness. Despite the warm light coming from every direction, none of it gleamed against his eyes. Whatever spark there was - if there even was such a thing in the first place - was extinguished, though he did not how. He vowed in greeting - one arm in front with the other one in the back - before uttering the name that would define his tenure as a Servant.

"Kotomine Kirei."


	3. Smoke and Mirrors

Artoria Pendragon was used to conflict. She had waded through battlefields from the nightmares of men, witnessed horrible massacres, and had her armor stained with the blood of those she had slain more times than she could count. Even her life nearly ended with death, when she was almost killed by Mordred's hand. If it weren't for the Counter Force offering her a second chance, she would've surely died upon the lonely hill of swords that was the Battle of Camlann.

It just made her cherish this small moment of peace with Irisviel even more. Though she knew the Holy Grail War was going to start soon, there was some sort of tranquility that came with acting as her bodyguard. Watching the city streets and the people driving in their cars or walking in the sidewalks, it allowed her to get a full view of both the battlegrounds she would be forced to fight in, but take in just how much humanity has changed over the ages.

Fuyuki City may not be as prestigious as Camelot, but there was something admirable about the skyscrapers and its streets. Perhaps it was just because of how many people there were, or the various stands of food, but she could clearly tell that it was thriving. And apparently, it was one of the smaller cities - though she received some knowledge about the current state of the world, Irisviel recounted second-hand stories about entire islands turned into concrete jungles, and highways that spanned entire nations.

Then there was the technology. By god, the sheer amount humanity had progressed in a few centuries was incredulous. Now, they had vehicles that could make a month's hike last a mere half hour. Cell phones allow people to contact each other from halfway across the world with just the press of a single button. If she had this technology, she could have united all of England and started expanding towards Europe before she had even formed the Round Table.

That didn't mean she would abandon Camelot. Though she definitely respected the modern era, she still loved that shining utopia with all her heart. It wasn't just her capital of Great Britain. The castle was where her Knights sat on the Round Table - and even though they had the tendency to bicker and create mischief when they were together, she looked back on those days with fondness.

However, those days were akin to a perfume - though it was sweet, it hid the ugliness beneath. By the end of her reign, the darkness in her kingdom had reared its head and swept through like a wildfire. The worst thing was that it seemed there was nothing she could do to stop it - the crown she wore was just a paperweight, not the symbol of the power she gained after defeating Vortigern.

She didn't allow herself the pleasures her fellow men enjoyed, or their vices. She was the king - a role model for each and every person she ruled. However, that had led to criticism. The words of Tristan, the greatest archer the Round Table would ever know, still ring in her ears.

"The King does not know the hearts of men."

And those words were more truthful than she could have known. She never allowed herself to love - her marriage to Guinevere was made out of pure realpolitik, cementing her position as king. She didn't become King Arthur for the glory that would come from creating a new kingdom - she did it so she could create a paragon of chivalry.

But creating a kingdom with chivalry might as well be like making a fortress out of sand.

Merlin abandoned her after she was raped by Morgan, chased by the Lady of the Lake until he imprisoned himself in Avalon. She wondered if he had seen how all their hard work ended, or if he was oblivious in that lonely tower, waiting for eternity. She still missed him dearly, despite his tendency to bed nearly every beautiful woman - and some men - he saw.

Then Lancelot and Guinevere had an affair, which Agravain and Mordred revealed to her people. Because of the gender norms during that time, nearly every noble and peasant called for her Queen's execution. The whole affair ended with Lancelot being driven to madness and slaughtering several of her knights, Gareth and Agravain included. Gawain had excommunicated Lancelot as a result, driven by grief.

Then Mordred revealed her heritage - she was a homunculus, a spawn Morgan made by impregnating herself with the sperm she stole. The turmoil she felt that day was incomparable, and she was barely able to stutter out a rejection to Mordred. Was there any other way to react? The woman in front of her, one she fought alongside with, had revealed herself as the child of that cursed sister of hers.

All of it led to the Battle of Camlann, where she impaled Mordred with Rhongomyniad while Mordred did the same with Clarent.

Her kingdom crumbled beneath her feet, and so did she. All her battles, both bloody and hard won, were for naught. If only she hadn't -

She stepped on the brake as she spotted a red light with enough force that she felt Irisviel nearly leap from her seat. It wasn't the red light that sent her into a panic - it was the fact that she had nearly trampled a teenager with the car. The boy practically leaped back from the car, a bunch of folders in his hands.

The surprising thing was that he didn't curse her, or at least send a scowl. In fact, he was more focused on the papers he had dropped rather than the fact that he was in the middle of the road. She heard the click of a door unlocking, and before she knew it Irisviel was already on the road, helping the boy pick up his papers. Artoria followed after her, helping the boy pick up the papers.

She barely noticed the other cars honking behind her, and she noticed someone nearby was dialing their phone. She quickly handed the papers to Irisviel, who handed them to the boy, until all of them were neatly sorted. It wasn't until Irisviel moved to the side that she noted the boy's appearance.

He had curly black hair and dark brown eyes, though the glint in them reminded her a bit too much of her court mage. That is, Merlin when he wasn't looking for a person to bed or playing pranks on her knights. Intelligent and insoluble, with just the smallest touch of mystery. His clothing was simple - white pants and a dark red button down shirt. The only peculiarity he had was a dark brown leather tool belt.

He gave a flirty smile. "You know, I was told I tend to drive girls crazy, but this is the first time I made one drive like crazy."

She could barely process what he said, Irisviel giggling while she could feel a blush appearing from her cheeks. Artoria shook it off however - though she wasn't experienced in romance, she was used to handling Merlin seducing people - surely the person in front of her couldn't be that different.

She reached out her hand. "I'm sorry about that. Is there any way I can make it up to you Mr..."

He took it, lifting himself up. "Kamado Kagu. And while I would like to keep going with the introductions, it seems we're holding up traffic at the moment." He gestured to a few drivers who looked irate.

Irisviel nodded. "Why don't you join us? That way, we can make it up to you."

She wanted to chastise Irisviel for her being so generous to a stranger, but she couldn't argue. It was the least they could do - and from the lessons in etiquette Merlin gave her, it would be extremely rude if she didn't do anything to compensate for such an error.

"Why thank you for the offer. And I appreciate it." They quickly entered the car, Artoria kicking herself as she resumed driving.

"By the way, I never did get your name."

Though she had her eyes on the road, Artoria could sense Irisviel's awkwardness. "My mistake. My name is Irisviel Von Einzbern."

"I assume that you're a tourist then? Considering your name is in the western order?"

He's perceptive, Artoria noted.

"You assume correctly Mr. Kamado. I'm visiting Fuyuki for vacation. My driver is giving me a bit of a tour before taking me to the hotel."

She silently complimented Irisviel on her skill at improvisation, while recalling the directions Kiritsugu gave her before the flight.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question in return then, Mr. Kamado?"

"Of course." The boy's voice was warm and confident - she would almost say it was reckless, as if he had no secrets to hide.

"Were you born in Japan? Excuse me if its rude, but your appearance says otherwise."

"Do not worry, Ms. Einzbern. I'm not native to this country, I'll admit. I was actually born into the United States - Texas if you want the specifics. I only moved here a couple of years ago."

"Oh really? Why for?"

She gave a quick glance in the rearview mirror. Though she couldn't see the man's face, she felt as if Irisviel had stumbled upon some inner joke they didn't know about.

"I guess I'm looking for a new life here. I didn't quite like my life back in America, so I tried looking for new countries to live in while I was at university. Japan was one of the few countries that seemed like the right place."

"That sounds nice," Irisviel looked at her through the rearview mirror, her cheerful smile slowly turning awkward. "By the way, can we stop at a restaurant? The food from the plane ride wasn't very filling."

"Yes madam. Do you know any places Mr. Kamado?" She asked the boy.

"Of course. Mind if I take the wheel?"

Though the request was a bit peculiar, she didn't mind. Finding an emptier side street, they quickly switched places, Artoria sitting right next to Irisviel. It was almost a surreal experience, for she was never the type of king to ride on a chariot. Usually she rode horseback with her fellow knights on Dun Stallion.

However, she couldn't help but observe the boy - specifically, his driving technique. Though she had the Riding skill, which would've allowed her to notice human error, she didn't notice a single mistake. He was constantly looking in her rearview mirror, always at the speed limit, and his hands were steady on the wheel. Despite the fact that Kamado was probably on the brink of adulthood, he rode this car with more skill than some of her knights.

She wondered for a second if she could challenge him to a race later on - just to see how advanced her Riding skill was of course.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence until they ended up in front of a small restaurant.

"How about I find us a parking spot while you go look for a table Ms, Einzbern?" Kamado suggested.

"I don't -" Her refusal was stopped by Irisviel giving her a knowing look. "We don't mind."

They got out of the car, her feet hitting the pavement.

"Why did you let him do that Irisviel?" She did her best to quell the frustration in her voice.

Though she respected the woman, giving the car to a stranger was the height of stupidity, and just asking for a robbery.

"It was the best way to give us some time away from his ears, Saber."

Artoria noticed the suspicion in Irisviel's voice and caught on quickly. "You think he's a spy?"

"Either that or a Master. Though the Clock Tower officially never pays much attention to the ritual, the Holy Grail War should bring a lot of outsiders to Fuyuki." The homunculus explained. "Since the Three Great Families are guaranteed a spot as participants, Kiritsugu believes that the rest of the Masters are from out of the country."

That makes sense, Saber thought. "So the invitation for lunch was a plan to interrogate him."

"Of course. However, its a bit hard to tell at the moment. Though there are some mages in the United States, I don't think there's a family strong enough to participate in the war." Irisviel shook her head. "Do you have any ideas for a false name by the way?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Very well. Do you mind if I call you Regina then while he's present?"

She nodded, the term familiar to her. It usually meant 'the queen' in latin - which was fitting, considering her background. And if the boy was a spy, he wouldn't be able to deduce her status as a Servant.

They both stepped into the restaurant, and it took a few seconds before a waiter greeted them, guiding them towards a western style table for four. Though there were chopsticks, Artoria couldn't help but relax at the sight of silverware.

There was a steady drone of a television that was perched in a corner, the woman explaining the weather for the next few days. Though there were some tables that were in a more traditional style, along with some paintings, the rest of the restaurant was comforting in how steady it was.

The waiter was extremely diligent, she noted, as he took record of their drinks. She ordered a simple glass of water, while Irisviel wanted something called amazake. It didn't take too much time for Kamado to enter the restaurant, giving them a cheery grin.

"So Mr. Kamado, how did you come by this place?" Irisviel asked.

"I have a friend who lives here with his grandparents. They come over here so often that they invited me one time. I really like the curry that they serve."

"That sounds nice." The waiter put down their drinks, while Kamado also asked for an amazake.

It was difficult to think the boy in front of them was a spy or an assassin. For one thing, he could've easily done multiple things while he was driving the car. He could've crashed the vehicle against a truck, driven it off a bridge and drowned them, or killed Irisviel while he was in the backseat with her. Though there weren't that many assassinations made against her, Artoria had trained herself for any possibilities.

"This drink is very nice. Do you want to try it Regina?" Irisviel offered the cup to her.

She took the cup and took a small sip. The drink was surprisingly sweet - despite its texture, it went down her throat. She felt the slightest tinge of alcohol - though it wasn't strong enough to make one drunk.

"Thank you. I'll stick to my drink however." She then sipped her water, washing down the taste.

"So how are you enjoying Japan, Ms. Irisviel?"

"It's lovely." Irisviel commented, "Though I would prefer you call me Mrs. Einzbern. I'm married, you see."

"Oh really? Whoever tied the knot must be a very lucky man."

The homunculus blushed. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm the lucky one."

"Well, as long as you're both happy that's all that matters."

That was another thing. Kamado wasn't asking too many questions that prodded their origins. Spies were charming, slowly taking up information or plying them with food and drink. He was doing neither.

"What about you Mr. Kamado? Any lucky girl out there?" Irisviel asked with a teasing wink.

"I'm afraid not. Not for a lack of trying though - mainly bad luck, I guess."

"Really? Surely some girl must've at least taken notice of a handsome boy such as yourself." The boy blushed, hiding his face behind a menu before maintaining the conversation.

Handsome? Though Artoria knew Irisviel was probably using the compliment as a way to get more information, she wondered why the woman chose that word. Looking a bit closer, Artoria wouldn't say he was handsome. Well, at least in the way most of her knights were admired by onlookers.

However, that didn't mean he wasn't appealing to the eye. Once again, he reminded her of Merlin - that is, if Merlin was shorter and closer to the cute side. She shrugged, turning her face to the menu. She barely registered the television's broadcast changing from the weather to the news.

It didn't take long for them to order what they wanted. Irisviel ordered something called sukiyaki, while Kamado ordered seafood tempura. In the meantime, she decided to order kabayaki - she didn't know what exactly it was made out of, but she was in a completely different country. It would be best to try out the cuisine before she would be stuck at Einzbern Castle.

There was a comforting silence, before the drone from the television changed to something more dramatic. She turned her eyes towards the screen, and the newscaster started speaking.

_**BREAKING NEWS! **_

_"Recently, there was a report of a break-in at the Fuyuki International Airport. Though it seems that there was no visible damage done to the building, administrative staff report that there were multiple records stolen from their offices, including passenger manifests of previous and future flights. According to the Fuyuki Chief of Police, the department is investigating this incident as a case of data theft."_

_"Though multiple airlines are worried about this sudden event, a press release scheduled for this afternoon will focus on addressing the situation."_

_"However,while all flights are still going to maintain their current schedule, the Fuyuki Police Department is increasing its presence to find the perpetrator, and to capture the serial killer responsible for the recent string of deaths that have occurred over the past few months."_

Though it seemed her companions at the table didn't notice it, the broadcast was worrying her. "Irisviel, do you know what a passenger manifest is?"

"Though multiple airlines are worried about this sudden event, a press release scheduled for this afternoon will focus on addressing the situation."

"Hm?" The woman finished sipping the amazake. "I'm not familiar with that term I'm afraid."

"I am." Kamado interjected. "Its the list of passengers in a flight. Its mostly kept to make sure nobody produces a false ticket."

Her eyes met Irisviel's ruby red, and Artoria could feel that they had the same train of thought. Was that the work of a Master?

"Thank you Mr. Kamado." She took a sip of her water.

"No problem, Reggy."

She choked on her water while Irisviel giggled before patting her back. The boy looked a bit sorry, but he still sent a mischievous wink towards her.

Where the hell did that name come from?

Irisviel frowned, though it wasn't intense enough to be taken seriously - in fact, it was more teasing than anything. "That was naughty of you Mr. Kamado."

Kamado put a hand to his chest overdramatically, his eyes filled with mock mortification."Why Mrs. Einzbern, I do everything with not a single bit of naughtiness. Trust me when I gave dear Regina the nickname most sincerely."

Irisviel giggled, and Kamado focused on her, reflecting the same emotion Irisviel sent him. "Unless you're jealous that I didn't give you one too, Mrs. Einzbern?"

Irisviel shook her head while a server arrived with their food.

"Seafood tempura?"

"Over here." Kamado chimed.

"Sukiyaki?"

"Thank you very much." Irisviel took the plate, slowly setting it into her side of the table.

"Kabayaki?"

"Thank you." The waiter set down the plate in front of her.

She almost started dining, but a pinch on the leg stopped her. Artoria looked at Irisviel, who gestured towards Kamado.

Kamado said a short "itadakimasu" before starting to dig in with a pair of chopsticks. Irisviel followed the motion, and Artoria deduced that this was probably part of the etiquette when it came to eating in Japan.

She took a bite of her meal, only to be surprised by the taste. Compared to what she usually ate, this choice of meat was sweet in its flavor. It was also rather chewy. She started to pick up speed, enjoying her meal's flavor.

The possible spy smiled. "I didn't know you were a fan of eel, Ms. Regina."

Her hands froze, the silverware that was once slowly speeding up to a blur now stuck in stasis. She had the decency to swallow what she had in her mouth before finally blurting out her realization.

"This is eel?" She was suddenly reminded of the few times she was at sea, when she was forced to fight off Romans who were trying to invade the coast. She had seen eels during that time, and they didn't look like the ones she was apparently eating at the moment. They had been long, brown and slimy, looking at her with soulless black eyes.

Her reminiscing was shaken by a giggle from Irisviel, while Kamado was laughing himself to death, tears of joy pouring out his eyes and his fist banging the table. "Your face! Your face!"

She shook it off, trying to change focus back on her meal. It was semi-effective, since she shuddered when her knife touched the eel, bringing forth another peal of laughter from Kamado. Thankfully, the laughter didn't last long before they all turned back to their meals except for the boy breaking out into giggles at the memory every once in a while.

Though she was shocked at what she had eaten, it didn't take long for the surprise to wear off. Despite the bizarre nature of her dish, it was still delicious. The others seemed to like their dishes, and it wasn't before long that they finished off their dishes.

"So Mr. Kamado, do you have a job around here?" Irisviel asked.

"Of course. I'm a line cook for a restaurant in the Shinto section of the city, though sometimes my manager asks me to deliver some food every once in a while." He swept his hair - was that a tick of his? "When I'm not on duty, I try to help out a repair shop nearby."

"What about you Mrs. Einzbern? Do you have a job?"

"Not really. I guess you could call me… what's the phrase? A stay-at-home mom?" Irisviel shrugged, "While I would like to have a job, my husband and the rest of my family make enough money so I can pay all my attention to my daughter.

"That's nice. But if she's your daughter, why is she not with you?"

Though the boy probably didn't notice it, Artoria could tell Irisviel had stiffened for just the slightest second. She never had a daughter - her relationship with Mordred was a mess, one that was hard to acknowledge. However, Artoria did feel some sympathy for her. Irisviel loved Illya with all her heart, and she probably missed seeing her everyday.

That sympathy did bring another question with it - why did Irisviel need to be in Fuyuki in the first place? Aside from being a distraction so her Master could take down the competition from the shadows, she could hardly see the sense in risking Irisviel if it meant getting the Grail. Then again, perhaps they needed an Einzbern to sell the illusion. She mentally shook her head - if there was something else going on, Irisviel would tell her.

The moment of discomfort passed, and Irisviel laughed nervously. "Thank you for worrying. However, its not necessary - my husband and I decided to travel here for some personal time together."

"Ah, I see. Tell me, is your daughter expecting a new sibling after this?"

Irisviel was blushing the most precious shade of red, and was probably choking on her own amazake. Artoria almost had to stop herself from chuckling, forcing her face into passive apathy. She did give a small smile though.

"No more lewd comments from you, Mr. Kamado."

"Of course." He sent a small wink that pulled out a giggle from Irisviel. The waiter picked up their plates after they were finished eating, with Kamado thanking him for the meal while also asking for the bill.

When they received the bill, Kamado was about to pull out his wallet before Irisviel practically lunged and took the piece of paper, almost as if it was poisonous.

"To make up for Regina's error." Irisviel explained, signing the paper and pulling out her credit card.

"Well, give me a warning next time. I thought you were going to choke me for a sec." Kamado jokes, rubbing his neck to imitate discomfort. "By the way, you're supposed to bring the receipt up to the cashier."

"Thank you for the tip Mr. Kamado."

"No problem," Kamado shrugged. "I was also pretty lost when I came to this country. Figured that I should help you out."

"Still, thank you." Irisviel left for the cashier leaving Artoria and Kamado at the table.

It was silent for a few seconds, and Artoria couldn't help but stare at the boy who was looking outside the window, trying to make up her mind as to whether he was a spy or not. She would admit, there weren't that many signs from him; despite their sudden meeting, the boy was rather benevolent all things considered. She was tempted to dismiss Irisviel's theory, for he showed no sign of being a threat.

Still, a bit of paranoia didn't hurt anybody. It had saved her many times on her path to kingship, stopping her from being the victim of assassinations and conspiracies against her. Considering the circumstances of now, it would help her once again.

"Why a suit?" The voice interrupted her analysis, and she looked towards Kamado's eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Not that I have any issues with women in suits - but its just a bit unusual, don't you think?" The boy gestured towards her, "Chauffeuses are a bit uncommon, I'll admit - and even then, not a lot of women in that profession wear suits for driving other people around. Usually its some type of uniform."

"Then again, from a distance you would probably be mistaken for a man. You aren't just a driver - you would have insisted on being the one at the wheel when I asked."

She was quickly trying to find a way to distract Kamado's line of thought. If he found out she was a Servant, there were two possible scenarios - Irisviel would have to erase his memory, or she would be forced to kill him. Neither would be appealing.

"So that means you're a bodyguard. And judging by your accent, one from Britain."

Sure, she'll go with that. "Yes. I was hired by her husband in order to protect her from any possible threats."

"Why? Are they political figures of some sort? Or is the Mr. afraid of someone who will sweep Mrs. Einzbern off her feet in those few moments they are apart?" He gave a teasing grin.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I do not presume to have knowledge of my employer's intentions."

"Still, they must be paying you quite a bit of cash - not many people are willing to traverse thousands of miles from home."

She nodded, and changed her posture so she was staring out the window. It wasn't long before Irisviel returned, and they left the restaurant at a leisurely pace.

"Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Einzbern."

"Once again, it was no problem, Mr. Kamado. Do you need a ride to get home?"

Kamado shrugged. "No need. My place isn't far from here, but thank you for the offer. I just need to pick up the papers I left in your car, and then I'll be on my way.

"Very well."

"Actually, before we go, would you like your picture taken? Considering its your first time in Japan?" Kamado reached into his tool belt and pulled out a polaroid camera.

Irisviel smiled. "Of course. Come on Regina."

She wanted to protest, but the woman quickly wrapped an arm around her so they were side by side. She almost fumbled with how close she was to the homunculus, feeling a small blush in her cheeks. Still, she gave what she hoped to be a cheerful smile.

The camera flashed, flashed again, and two photos spilled out of the camera. Kamado passed one to them while he kept the other one.

"One for you and one for me. I'll make sure to remember you." He gave them a warm smile.

Irisviel looked at the photo before chuckling and passing it to her. She gave it a glance, and almost groaned at the sight of her. She didn't radiate friendliness, nor the confident air of a king. Her smile was nervous and awkward, and the picture had captured her blush. In comparison, Irisviel looked perfect - her smile was friendly while holding out a peace sign with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Artoria.

"Thank you very much for the photo." Irisviel responded.

They walked to the car, and she opened the door for Irisviel while Kamado grabbed his papers.

"Goodbye Mrs. Irisviel, Ms. Regina. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon." The boy winked towards them, grabbing his folder.

"You too. I hope you have a nice day." Irisviel said before closing the car door.

Artoria started the car once again, returning back to the route Kiritsugu sent them so they could make their way back to Einzbern castle. Irisviel sighed behind her, and it wasn't difficult for Artoria to tell what she was thinking.

"So he was a spy?"

"No actually, quite the opposite. When he offered to take us that photo, well, that was the end of my suspicions."

"How so?"

"Well, nearly all magi are incompetent with technology. They refuse to use cell phones, televisions, even computers. For them, it would recognize the fact that magi aren't superior compared to those who don't have magic circuits." Irisviel explained. "It's one of the reasons my husband is effective at his job - they don't believe someone is willing to use mundane tools to kill other magi."

"Still, I feel quite guilty now for even suspecting his motives - he was very helpful."

"Agreed. But your paranoia isn't unjustified Irisviel - your instincts are what keep you alive, especially in conflicts like these. I know these kinds of instincts kept me alive when I was king."

" Thank you Artoria. Still, it was a shame that all our efforts were for nothing."

* * *

Waver still wasn't used to living in Japan.

Admittedly, he wasn't exactly in the country to live there, but rather to participate in the Holy Grail War. Still, it meant learning how to live in the country - speak its languages, learn common traditions and etiquette, and adapt to different cuisines. All of it would help Waver blend in with the masses, avoiding the eyes of Magi until the War could start.

This was extremely frustrating for him. He was starting from the ground up, and even though he had weeks to get used to it, that didn't mean he was thriving. Learning japanese meant learning a completely new type of alphabet, a new writing system, and how to understand both when spoken and written.

He entered his room in the Mackenzies' house, only to nearly trip over a book that was lying on the floor. He scanned the area, taking note of the multiple books that were almost scattered haphazardly. Most of them were nearly the same thing - Japanese modern culture and its language, its history before and during the common era, along with some of its entertainment. The only exception were multiple books focused on multiple empires, myths, and folklore around the world.

Rider was the one that urged him to focus on these sorts of studies, and was certainly the most focused out of the two of them. He threw himself into every book he could find, reading and taking notes to the point of zealotry. Waver had always understood the point of hard work, but his own ethic paled in comparison to the boy's.

He moved some books off his bed to the nightstand, and did his best to relax, his back practically moaning in gratitude.

He had just recently returned after meeting the supervisor of this Holy Grail War, Risei Kotomine. It was honestly a simple affair - state his name, reveal his command seals, affirm his intention of joining the war, and listen to a speech warning him about its dangers. Though he did appreciate the man's concern, Waver knew just what he had signed up for when joining the ritual - it was called a Holy Grail War for a reason.

The reason for his fatigue was the jet lag that still followed him after his trip. And since he didn't have a car, that meant he had to walk a long distance in order to reach the church. While Waver was thin, he wasn't exactly the pinnacle of fitness - especially since he was used to taking the bus and underground so he could get into the Clock Tower.

All of it made for an extremely tiring trip, one he was quite happy to end with him lying in bed.

Rider hadn't followed him - rather, it seemed he had his own plans. While Waver was meeting with Kotomine, his Servant would spend the day scouting the city in spirit form.

It was unexpected, to say the least. When he did his research on Servants, he had been expecting a familiar that acted like a guard dog, with his command seals as the metaphorical leash. Either that or the Servant would be treating him as a living mana battery who could only order him around three times.

That didn't mean Rider's proactive behavior wasn't appreciated. Compared to some of his colleagues and professors, the boy was downright cordial and friendly, flirting notwithstanding. He was certainly good at conversation, and even managed to make Waver waffles when the Mackenzies left for a morning walk.

However, he suspected Rider had stolen most of the books currently in their room. Once again, Waver didn't mind - he'd rather have an ally who was willing to skirt around a few laws rather than someone who let them act as chains.

Waver closed his eyes, drowsing off. It was peaceful, lacking any sort of dreams or nightmares. He sluggishly woke up, covering his eyes when the light of the setting sun hit his face, orange rays tinting the yellow walls of their room. He closed his eyes and rolled over so he was facing the wall.

"Hello sleeping beauty."

He slowly opened his eyes, only to practically jump back at the sight of Rider's face, certainly not squealing.

The Servant was staring at Waver, a red rose in his mouth with the smile of a cat who caught the canary. "Aw come on Master - surely I'm not that ugly." Rider said as he pulled the flower out of his mouth.

He shook his head. "No, not that - but did you really have to surprise me like that Rider?"

The servant shrugged . "Nope. But its one of the few ways I can get a bit of fun. How was your day?"

"Exhausting. Not in the way that the supervisor gave me any trouble, but the trip sucked the soul out of me."

His stomach grumbled, and he scratched his head awkwardly. "And I missed lunch."

"Well that's a shame. Good thing your trusty Servant brought you some junk food to keep you going." Rider pulled out a bag of fast food from his tool belt. "It's not much compared to what I can make, but it was the only kind of food I could smuggle without alerting our elderly hosts."

He opened the bag, part of his stomach singing in gratitude. "Thank you Rider." He quickly started to dig in, practically burrowing his way through the burger, fries, and soda.

It wasn't until he finished that Waver continued the conversation. "What about your day Rider? Any luck in terms of scouting?"

"Oh yes," Rider smirked. "I actually found the Einzbern master on the way home."

"Wait wait wait. How did you find it?"

"Find it? She seemed pretty human to me." The Servant frowned.

"Well, the thing is the Einzberns usually use homunculi as proxy-masters - while some are autonomous, they're still artificial life." He explained.

"Oh, ok. Well, it was simple — while you were going to meet the supervisor, I raided the airport and took the passenger manifests for the flights that arrived in the past month. It was just my luck - she arrived today." He pulled out a folder that was almost bloated with its workload. "After that, it was following the paper trail she left behind, and using my spheres to track the car she was taking."

"Did you interact with her?"

Rider looked at him incredulously. "Of course I did. Pretended to be a guy that her driver almost ran over, and got a free meal in exchange. I also bugged the car so I didn't have to keep searching for her with my spheres."

"That's brilliant." He whispered out in reverence. It reminded him that despite Rider's mischievous personality, there was certainly a sharp mind he used frequently.

The boy pulled out a picture, showing a woman with red eyes and white hair, along with an androgynous person wearing a suit. He dug into the folder even further, taking out and unfolding a map of Fuyuki City. Reaching into his tool belt, Rider took a set of pins, pinning the map to the wall.

"From what the tracking device I put into the car is telling me, Einzbern is supposed to be over here." Rider pinned the picture he took to the woods that were in the outskirts of Fuyuki. "You mentioned the family owns a castle a few days ago, right?"

"Yes." Waver nodded. "I even made sure to track down where the Tohsaka and Matou families lived. Can I?"

"Of course." Rider passed the pins to him.

Waver silently patted himself in the back for using the same technique Rider used to find Einzbern - that is, follow the paperwork. While magi often considered themselves above those with magic circuits, they still had to do the mundane stuff any human had to deal with. This weakness, he noted, was one they found to be the most useful.

He pinned two areas in Miyama Town - one that was close to the outskirts, while the other one was closer to the shopping district. "The Tohsaka live by the border of the city, while the Matou are more in the center. From what I've seen, their properties are large."

"What bothers me the most is that there's a second property under the Matou name - one by the city." He shook his head, adding a pin to the city's Shinto half. "Then again, if there's truth to the rumors I heard, that family had a falling out a few years ago - the heir had apparently abandoned the path of a magus."

"Okay. So what do we know about them, James Bond?"

He chuckled a bit - James Bond was from Scotland, not England. And Waver was certainly no casanova.

"Well, the Tohsaka are well known for their use of jewelcraft - using gems to store mana, so they can be used for specific spells." He explained. "They're certainly very rich - that type of magecraft asks for a lot of money. They're also rather old, which usually means they have a large amount of magic circuits."

"As for the Matou… well, that family technically isn't from Japan. They were originally from Russia, but were forced to evacuate the country and move here during Ivan the Terrible's reign."

"Good for them. From what I studied, the guy was a psychopath." Rider shuttered.

"Agreed. However, because they moved so far out of their home, the family's bloodline weakened over the centuries. It is a shadow of its former self. As for the type of magecraft they use, it apparently has some sort of biological component that could replace magic circuits."

But that could mean anything, Waver thought. It could have ranged from blood-focused manipulation, accelerating the development of the body, or even making artificial magic circuits.

"Last but not least, the Einzberns are practically prodigies in alchemy."

"I think I heard about that type of magecraft - isn't it focused on equivalent exchange and manipulating materials?" Rider asked.

"Technically that is part of it - you're on the track with the second half. Alchemy is the study and manipulation of the flow of matter, along with creating it. Transmutation is one of the higher levels of this sort of magecraft."

He pointed at the picture of the homunculus. "That family has a specialty in creating homunculus - the ones they create are famous for the quantity of magic circuits they have. In fact, practically the entire family is composed of homunculi, and the current head only lives because of methods used to extend his life."

"So they're all living, breathing mana batteries?"

"It depends on what purpose they give them, which is decided during the making process." He frowned, though more out of suspicion than anything. "Though it does bring to question why they hired that woman. The Einzberns practically isolated themselves from anybody that doesn't belong to the family."

Of course, he was referring to the woman next to the homunculus. The Einzbern were so physically isolated from the rest of the world that they would make hikikomori and NEETs green with envy. To allow someone that is not one of their own homunculi into the family was akin to a miracle.

"Perhaps she's their Servant?" Rider asked.

He nodded. "Probably. Can you profile her later? I need to focus on making a familiar for tonight."

"I think I can save you that process with my spheres, Master." Rider volunteered.

That didn't surprise him. From what he remembered about Rider's abilities, he was one of the few Servants in his class to have the Item Construction skill. This allowed Rider to items ranging from potions to mystic codes, and his Servant used it to produce multiple copies of the Archimedes Spheres.

Although they were inferior compared to the original Spheres, Rider had different priorities and standards when it came to the copies' purpose. For combat, he had focused on quality rather than quantity, while the inverse was applied for espionage. As they waited for the Holy Grail War to truly begin, Rider made enough to actively patrol the city during the night, giving them an extremely effective spy network.

Honestly, he was quite sure the only reason Rider wasn't actually Caster is because he currently didn't have the Territory Creation skill, allowing him to create a workshop. That would've had Waver savoring at the mouth.

Rider pulled out a large scroll from his tool belt, and Waver stared at the item as it slowly unfurled. The boy tapped it a few times, and letters written inside it glew a bright blue hew as they projected a large map of Fuyuki City. Several red dots were scattered across the map, constantly moving through the city. At closer glance, he could tell the letters were actually ancient Greek.

"Beautiful." He breathed out.

"Thank you Master." Rider smiled at him.

It took a few more minutes before the sense of awe and amazement left Waver's brain, bringing him back to the task at hand. "Then we'll spend tonight doing research on that possible Servant. Aside from the picture, are there any defining traits you could pick up about her?"

"Well, she had a British accent - not like yours, though. It was certainly very posh and upper class. She was also the one driving Einzbern - which probably means she also has the Riding skill."

"Hmm… are there any whiteboards and markers in that tool belt?" Rider pulled them out, and he used them to make a list about the traits they knew about the woman.

EINZBERN SERVANT 

MAIN FEATURES: Green eyes, blonde hair, though her gender can be ambiguous from afar. British accent - posh (could she be royalty?).

SKILLS: Riding.

POSSIBLE CLASSES: SABER, LANCER, ARCHER.

POSSIBLE IDENTITIES:

He left that last part blank so they could fill it in later. "Now, let's get to work."

They quickly dug into the horde of books Rider had stolen, focusing on those that were centered around female figures, circling any possible identities with a blue pen. It was surprisingly tedious work, because there were multiple figures in British history that could have fit the same traits they were looking for.

"Perhaps we should make our net a bit wider?" Waver proposed.

"Why?"

"Well, we should consider that the older a Servant's legend is, the more Mystery it has. And if we apply that on a practical scale, there are less specific details when it comes to the Heroic Spirit's life - that is, aside from tales speaking about their appearances. It's possible that she might've hidden her true appearance when she was alive, and its because of the Holy Grail that she can walk freely without worry." Waver explained.

"So you think she's written down in history as someone else?" Rider had a thoughtful look in his face. "Well, perhaps that theory does have some merit - I mean, the reason most people think Napoleon was short is due to the British propaganda at the time. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to believe that she was mistaken as someone else."

That meant putting more people on the list - kings and queens that looked like they had done something worthy of being in the Throne, knights that had songs and poems written about them, and even pirates. By the time they had finished the list, Rider had already turned on the light, the moon was rising in the sky, and Rider had to replace the marker they were using twice.

POSSIBLE IDENTITIES

Queen Victoria

Elizabeth I

Bouddica

Mary I

Ethelfleda

Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd

Queen Cordelia

Queen Gwendolen

Jeanne de Clisson

Gareth

Bedivere

Margaret of Anjou

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Nicholaa de la Haye

Joanna of Flanders

Grace O'Malley - (Irish, but she later became an ally of Queen Elizabeth I)

Guinevere

"Gods. So much for this being easy." Rider sighed. "I don't even know some of these."

"Well, that's what you get for being an uncultured American." Waver gave a wry smile.

"Shut it you snotty Brit. Besides, you have the expression that you're about to have a headache." Rider was right about that - even though he had lived in the United Kingdom for so long, the sheer amount of research they would need to do was not pleasant.

"I wish I brought some of my history books." He sighed in frustration. "Then we would at least be able to do some research that's a bit more than what the books you bought have to offer."

"You know, in the future this research would have been finished in about a few minutes." Rider said.

"Really? How come?" Waver asked.

"Well, the internet is way more advanced to start. The World Wide Web is still used, but the internet as a whole is so complex that it makes today's version seem like ancient history." Rider stated. "That facilitates research when its not possible to find information on a subject when its not at the local library."

"I see." Waver was silent, but out of a sense of restriction. His inner student was drooling for the possibility of new knowledge, one nobody else had access to. On the other hand, if he used what Rider told him for the wrong purposes, it could risk causing a paradox.

Then again, the information… Screw it. It was worth the risk.

"How is the future like Rider?" He asked.

His Servant looked at him warily. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"The bad or the good? Or both?"

"Both."

Rider got a conflicted look in his face, as if he was debating the merits of giving Waver that information. A minute passed before he started speaking again, "Alright. I won't go over any specifics, give any important details, or outline any key events. Most of the information I give will go over the state of the world in broad strokes. Is that fine for you?"

"Yes. Thanks for telling me at least a little bit, though."

"No problem. Just let me get the remote control for my spheres. Just a heads up - its isn't like Back to the Future II."

While his Servant moved the spheres around the city, he told Waver about the state of the world. The new technology that sprung up, from new technology that sprung up like the newer models of phones, to the other sources of energy that were slowly replacing fossil fuel. The importance of the internet for modern life, and the spread of social media. The legalization of gay marriage in multiple countries, along with the increase of LGBT rights.

He also went over the negatives. How humanity still hasn't been able to completely solve the problem of climate change. The rise of terrorism, though he didn't go over specific events that were influential to its rise. How religious institutions lost some of their influence through multiple scandals involving sex and pedophilia. The influence of misinformation and the concept of fake news. Corruption and stupidity rising to some of the highest political figures in the world.

Waver absorbed it all, hanging on to Rider's words like a man that had found an oasis in a desert. It was so much - a world that was strangely similar to his, but different in so many ways. Rider was right in his warning, but Waver didn't regret asking him. Though he was sure that most of the information would be useless in a general perspective, the picture the boy in front of him wove was captivating.

"So as you can probably guess, the world's a bit of a chaotic mess - it has its own share of pros and cons, and much like anything, its still a work in progress." Rider summarized it.

"Yes it is." Perhaps it was lame, but that was all he could say."But still, better to have it be a mix between the bad and the good rather than have the entire world destroyed.

His Servant gave him a wry smile, as if he was in on some joke, but didn't continue the conversation, filling the room with silence. Minutes passed while Rider guided his spheres around Fuyuki, Waver keeping a sharp eye on where they were going. Three patrolled the streets around Tohsaka's home, three more by Matou's Mansion, and six more scattered around the outskirts where the Einzbern's forest was supposed to be. The rest that Rider had were spread across the city.

"So how are these Spheres able to detect Masters and Servants?" He asked.

"I read some of the books you used to research the Holy Grail War. Since Servants are made out of Ether, that means it isn't hard to track large amounts of it. Makes it way easier to find out just exactly where Servants are without leaving your place."

"As for the Masters, well, I might have taken a bit of a sample from your body." His unmarked hand went to the Command Seals, and Rider's face broke into a grin when Waver noticed his hand was unmarked, the Command Seals still in place. "By sample, I meant I had my spheres analyze the magecraft used by the Command Seals. Kudos to whoever made them - they must have been quite the genius."

"Do you need to make a joke out of everything?" He grumbled.

"Eh, what's life without a few jokes? Gods know I've made and needed quite a few during my life."

One of the red dots on the hologram grew brighter - specifically, one by the Tohsaka Estate.

Rider put a hand to his chin. "Now what's this?" He pressed his fingers against the red dot, and it glowed a bright green. He then tapped one of the letters, and the map was switched to an eagle's eye view of the Tohsaka Estate.

It was clear that the family was wealthy - it had a large, intricate garden with hedges, trees, and even a fountain. While it certainly wouldn't be so expensive if one lived in the United States or Canada, owning land in Japan was akin to having a vault full of gold. Wealth was necessary if one were to study jewelcraft - either the family had to be extremely wealthy, or extremely stingy. However, it wasn't the garden that attracted his attention.

No, what attracted his attention were the two figures standing by a road near its outskirts. It would've been impossible to pick out the details if he were looking at them from afar, but the Sphere did its job excellently. He could notice everything about them.

The first person was a tall man, with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark blue uniform - vestments if he was right. He also wore a gold cross pendant - the defining trait of those who worked with the Church. Though he looked almost unassuming at first glance, Waver could tell there was muscle underneath the clothes he wore. He also had the blood red command seals that designated him as a Master in the war.

The other person had hidden nearly every detail of his appearance. They wore a black cloak around black robes, completely covering their appearance. What he did notice was the mask they wore, which looked like it belonged at an opera. It was the pale white of ivory, decorated with golden details. He probably would've seen the color of the person's eyes if it weren't for the cloak's shadow covering the eye slots.

Rider pressed another letter, and the image blinked, like how most cameras took pictures. Then it returned to monitoring them.

"That man…" Waver frowned. "He is a member of the Church." Waver stated.

"The cross says as much."

"No, I mean, not like Roman Catholic or Protestant. The Roman Catholic Church has a hidden branch - one aware of the supernatural side of this world." He explained. "They mainly focus on destroying stuff that they see as heresy."

"Wouldn't that include magecraft?" Rider asked.

"Technically, but only if it's extremely against their faith. It has branches, multiple of which are active today - but judging by the man's clothing, he's an Executor." Waver frowned. "It means that the man is trained to fight anything that counts as heretic."

"So magi, vampires, and demons?"

"Pretty much." He internally cursed. Fighting an Executor would be almost impossible for a magus such as Waver. Though he did know some reinforcement, he didn't know the martial arts some magus families taught to apply the spell, much less any purely offensive curses. Rider would have to do all the fighting if it came to blows.

They seemed to be in conversation, their voices muffled by wind and the song of crickets. He was tempted to tell Rider to have the Sphere come closer, but he didn't want to risk giving away their spy network. It didn't matter, however - the cloaked figure leaped from the road and straight into the edge of Tohsaka's garden.

It was clear that the Servant wasn't quite used to stealth, though he did have some level of acrobatics. If they had presence concealment, they wouldn't have been able to see them. Still, there was no denying the graceful way the person dodged and weaved his way through the various defenses of the bounded field, right until he made his way to its center.

"Master, can you see what class he's in?"

He shook his head, frustration leaking into his tone. "No. And that would have probably been pretty useful."

The person reached out for the bright ruby gem, only to lurch back -

His hand mere inches from the spear that almost impaled it.

The figure looked up, and so did the Sphere, and they saw what could've been a second sun with the light it shined through the sky.

Portals. Portals that appeared as if they made the very fabric of space ripple. Each one sporting a weapon of some sort, all radiating a subtle power that had Waver backing away from the image. At the center of it all, a blond man covered in brilliant golden armor, with eyes the same color as dried blood.

"Hmm, so you may have at least a modicum of sense, Assassin." The man spoke with an authority that practically made Waver want to bow despite not being in front of him. "Still, do not overestimate your worth, mongrel."

Several more weapons shot out of the portal, and Waver could see the figure pull out one single sword. Assassin turned into a blur as they deflected each and every single one, the projectiles carving scars across the garden in the forms of craters and flying weaponry. Assassin couldn't keep it up, however - a single one made it through their defense and impaled them in the leg. It was over as quickly as it happened. Several more swords flew, and explosions erupted the second each and every single one hit their target. They watched for a minute. Two. Then the smoke dissipated, revealing a splatter of blood, bones, and a tattered black cloak and mask.

"What?" The word slipped out of his mouth like a river.

The man laughed as he saw the remains of Assassin, before his face turned into a scowl. "Hmph. That was less than satisfactory for me. Hopefully, the rest of the worms in this war have something to prove their worth."

The Servant then turned into spirit form, leaving Waver with an open mouth. Then Rider burst into laughter, shaking him out of his shock.

"What's so funny? That Servant just slaughtered Assassin in front of us!" He yelled.

"Isn't it obvious? Assassin hasn't died." Rider's laughter calmed down, and he quickly pointed to the splatter of blood before them. "Hell, that isn't even his body. If you look closely at it, its a mix of multiple things - sausages and cherry jell-o for the organs, ketchup for the blood, and raw meat for the muscle. The bits of brain-matter you see over there? Macaroni dyed with pink food coloring."

"How can you tell?" He asked.

Rider gave him a look that made his knees quiver out of fear. "I've seen more than my fair share of bodies, Master. Much like being a Magus is to walk with death, so was the life I once lived."

"Okay, sorry." He apologized, but part of Waver's mind was still wondering what exactly implied. Rider looked no more than sixteen. It meant that Rider's legend started when he was young, and very few figures were known for their youth. It only meant that Rider had died young — and heroes that died young were like shooting stars, for they were brilliant yet ephemeral.

"Anyway, Assassin must have a very special skill in order to fake his death so quickly." Rider noted. "Either that, or it must be a Noble Phantasm."

"That does make sense." He noted.

"Finally, there was something quite peculiar about his sword." Rider tapped one of the runes, and the footage reversed to the point the figure had unsheathed their sword.

Now that Waver could get a look at it, there was something downright unsettling about it. He didn't know exactly what part of it bothered him, but it made his skin stand on end. The fear was almost like a reflex - every time he stared at it, he couldn't help but flinch.

"Was there anything important that made it stand out? Perhaps any special abilities?"

"Not exactly, but I could decipher two details about it though, and honestly, it worries me." Rider frowned, his eyes flickering back and forth between the screen and towards him, "If my suspicions are correct, then we're in for a world of trouble."

"Then what are they?" He asked, though he was also worried. Rider always seemed so carefree whenever they interacted. Something that put him on edge was a red flag.

"Well, first, I can tell that the sword is from Greece. However, its not your traditional xiphos variety - I can see from the grip that it was developed for one-handed and two-handed styles." The Servant explained. "That means that he was some sort of famous warrior."

"But that could mean anything. Greece is famous for having more heroes than there were children of Zeus." Now that he was saying it, the metaphor was quite apt. Out of all the mythologies, Greece had so many kings claiming they were children of Zeus, and just as many had legends told about them.

Rider chuckled. "You got a point there. But anyways, here's the last thing. The reason that sword looks so disturbing is because it was tainted with the blood of divinity."

His Servant released a torrent of profanities, most of them in spanish, before returning to English. "You know what that means, right?"

Waver nodded, his face paling at the thought.

"That sword was used to kill a god."

* * *

**Noble Phantasm Reveal **

**Tool Belt of Hephaestus**

**Rank: B - A (Anti-Unit) **

The tool belt Leo found in Bunker Nine, with the magical power to summon any tool as long as its associated with construction. However, since it was used to store multiple Mystic Codes such as the Spheres of Archimedes, it was able to become a Noble Phantasm. These Mystic Codes are all items Leo wielded or made during his life, such as Holographic Scrolls, Divine Hand Grenades, and Hephaestus' Netting, though it still has its original capabilities.


End file.
